The President Archives

11. Consider the following powers of the President of India : 1. The ex

Consider the following powers of the President of India :

1. The executive powers of the Union
2. The power to grant pardon and remit punishment
3. The supreme commander of the Defence forces of the Union

Which of the above powers is/are correct ?

1 only

1 and 2 only

1 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

This question was previously asked in

UPSC Combined Section Officer – 2021-22

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Article 53(1) of the Constitution states that the executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with the Constitution. Article 72 grants the President the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit, or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence. Article 53(2) declares the President to be the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces of the Union and states that the exercise of this power shall be regulated by law. All three listed powers are indeed powers of the President of India as outlined in the Constitution.

The President of India holds extensive executive, legislative, judicial, financial, diplomatic, military, and emergency powers, although most are exercised on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister.

The President is the head of the Indian state and the first citizen of India. He is indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the legislative assemblies of the states and the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry.

12. Which of the following statements is correct?

Which of the following statements is correct?

A person who is not a member of the Parliament is not qualified to be the President.

Every person who is a member of the Parliament is eligible to be elected as the President of India.

A person qualified to be a member of the House of the People is qualified to be the President.

A person qualified to be a member of the House of the People is qualified to be the President if he/she fulfils other prescribed requirements.

This question was previously asked in

UPSC Combined Section Officer – 2019-20

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Article 58 of the Constitution of India specifies the qualifications for election as President. A person is qualified if they are a citizen of India, have completed 35 years of age, and are qualified for election as a member of the House of the People (Lok Sabha). Option D accurately captures these requirements by stating a person qualified to be a member of the House of the People is qualified to be the President *if he/she fulfils other prescribed requirements* (which are citizenship and age).

– Option A is incorrect because a person does not need to be a current member of Parliament to be qualified.
– Option B is incorrect because being a member of Parliament is not the sole criterion; age and citizenship are also required, and specifically qualification for Lok Sabha is needed.
– Option C is incorrect because qualification for Lok Sabha is necessary but not sufficient; citizenship and age are also required.
– Option D correctly states the qualification for Lok Sabha as one requirement, adding that other prescribed requirements must also be fulfilled.

Article 58(1) states: “No person shall be eligible for election as President unless he— (a) is a citizen of India; (b) has completed the age of thirty-five years; and (c) is qualified for election as a member of the House of the People.” Article 58(2) further states that a person shall not be eligible if they hold any office of profit under the Government.

13. Consider the following statements with regard to election of the Presi

Consider the following statements with regard to election of the President of India :

1. The members of the House of the People can vote.
2. The elected members of the Council of States can vote.
3. The elected members of the State Legislatures can vote.

Which of the above statements is/are not correct?

1 only

2 only

1 and 2

This question was previously asked in

UPSC Combined Section Officer – 2019-20

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Statement 1 is incorrect. Statements 2 and 3 are correct. The question asks for the statement(s) that is/are *not* correct.

Article 54 of the Constitution states that the President shall be elected by an electoral college consisting of: (a) the elected members of both Houses of Parliament; and (b) the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States.
Statement 1 says “The members of the House of the People can vote”. This is incorrect because only *elected* members of the House of the People (Lok Sabha) are part of the electoral college; nominated members cannot vote.
Statement 2 says “The elected members of the Council of States can vote”. This is correct.
Statement 3 says “The elected members of the State Legislatures can vote”. This is correct.

Nominated members of Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies, as well as members of State Legislative Councils (Vidhan Parishads), are not part of the electoral college for the President’s election. The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

14. The President of India can nominate how many members to the Rajya

The President of India can nominate how many members to the Rajya Sabha?

This question was previously asked in

UPSC Combined Section Officer – 2019-20

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The President of India can nominate 12 members to the Rajya Sabha.

– These members are nominated from among persons having special knowledge or practical experience in matters such as literature, science, art, and social service.
– This provision is made under Article 80 of the Constitution.

The maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha is fixed at 250, of which 238 are representatives of the States and Union Territories (elected indirectly), and 12 are nominated by the President.

15. Who amongst the following has not occupied the office of both Presid

Who amongst the following has not occupied the office of both President and Vice President of India ?

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Zakir Hussain

K.R. Narayanan

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CISF-AC-EXE – 2023

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The person who has *not* occupied the office of both President and Vice President of India is Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.

– Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan served as the first Vice President (1952-1962) and the second President (1962-1967).
– Zakir Hussain served as the third Vice President (1962-1967) and the third President (1967-1969).
– K.R. Narayanan served as the ninth Vice President (1992-1997) and the tenth President (1997-2002).
– Neelam Sanjiva Reddy served as the sixth President of India (1977-1982). He held other prominent positions like Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Speaker of the Lok Sabha, but he never served as the Vice President of India.

The list of Indian Presidents and Vice Presidents is a common topic for factual questions in competitive exams. Knowing the order and the offices held by key figures is important. Several individuals have held both the Vice President and President offices, including V.V. Giri, R. Venkataraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma, and Pranab Mukherjee, in addition to those listed in the options.

16. Which of the following statements regarding the election of the Presid

Which of the following statements regarding the election of the President and the Vice President of India is/are correct ?

1. The President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of the Members of both the Houses of Parliament and the elected Members of State Legislative Assemblies and Councils.
2. The Vice President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of the Members of both Parliament.

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CISF-AC-EXE – 2018

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Only Statement 2 is correct regarding the election of the President and the Vice President of India.

The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States and the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry. State Legislative Councils are not part of the President’s electoral college. The Vice President is elected by an electoral college consisting of all the members (both elected and nominated) of both Houses of Parliament.

Statement 1 is incorrect because it includes “elected Members of State Legislative Assemblies and Councils”. Only elected members of Assemblies are included, not Councils. Statement 2 correctly describes the electoral college for the Vice President as comprising members of both Houses of Parliament.

17. The President of India may resign from his/her office by writing under

The President of India may resign from his/her office by writing under his/her hand. To whom of the following is his/her resignation addressed to?

The Chief Justice of India

The senior most available Judge of the Supreme Court, in the absence of the Chief Justice of India

The Vice President of India

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CBI DSP LDCE – 2023

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According to Article 56(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, the President may, by writing under his hand addressed to the Vice-President, resign his office. The Vice-President is required to immediately communicate this to the Speaker of the House of the People.

The President addresses his/her resignation letter to the Vice-President of India.

The Vice-President performs the duties of the President in case of a vacancy in the office of the President due to death, resignation, removal, or otherwise (Article 65). The Vice-President continues to act as President until a new President is elected and enters upon his office.

18. Who among the following served as the President of India for the short

Who among the following served as the President of India for the shortest period of time?

Giani Zail Singh

Pratibha Patil

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Zakir Husain

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CBI DSP LDCE – 2023

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Let’s look at the tenures of the mentioned Presidents:
A) Giani Zail Singh: 1982-1987 (5 years)
B) Pratibha Patil: 2007-2012 (5 years)
C) Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan: 1962-1967 (5 years)
D) Zakir Husain: 1967-1969 (Died in office after serving for approximately 2 years and 3 months).
Among the given options, Dr. Zakir Husain served for the shortest period. He was the first President of India to die in office.

Dr. Zakir Husain’s tenure was cut short due to his death in office. His tenure was significantly shorter than the full 5-year term served by the others listed.

India’s Presidents typically serve a full term of five years unless they resign or pass away during their term. V.V. Giri served as Acting President after Zakir Husain’s death and was later elected President.

19. The members nominated to either House of the Parliament or the Legis

The members nominated to either House of the Parliament or the Legislative Assemblies of States are also eligible to be included in the Electoral College.
Higher the number of elective Assembly seats, higher is the value of vote of each MLA of that State.
The value of vote of each MLA of Madhya Pradesh is greater than that of Kerala.
The value of vote of each MLA of Puducherry is higher than that of Arunachal Pradesh because the ratio of total population to total number of elective seats in Puducherry is greater as compared to Arunachal Pradesh.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Only one

Only two

Only three

All four

This question was previously asked in

UPSC IAS – 2023

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The correct option is A.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Electoral College for the election of the President consists only of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States (including Delhi and Puducherry). Nominated members in any House of Parliament or State Legislative Assemblies are not included in the Electoral College.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The value of the vote of an MLA of a State is calculated by the formula: (Total population of the State (as per 1971 census) / Total number of elected members of the State Legislative Assembly) × 1000. Thus, for a given population, a higher number of elective Assembly seats (denominator) results in a *lower* value of vote for each MLA, not higher.
Statement 3 is incorrect. Based on the 1971 census figures and current number of MLAs, the value of vote of an MLA in Kerala is approximately 152.48, while that of an MLA in Madhya Pradesh is approximately 130.5. Therefore, the value of vote of an MLA of Kerala is greater than that of Madhya Pradesh.
Statement 4 is correct. The value of vote is directly proportional to the ratio of total population to the number of elective seats (multiplied by 1/1000). Using 1971 census data, Puducherry population was 471,707 with 30 elected seats, giving a ratio of ~15723.56 and a vote value of ~15.72. Arunachal Pradesh population was 467,511 with 60 elected seats, giving a ratio of ~7791.85 and a vote value of ~7.79. The ratio for Puducherry is greater, and consequently, the value of vote for a Puducherry MLA is higher than that for an Arunachal Pradesh MLA.

The population figures used for calculating the value of votes of MLAs are based on the 1971 census to maintain uniformity and avoid disproportionate weightage due to differential population growth rates across states. This provision was initially frozen until the year 2000 by the 42nd Amendment Act and further extended until the first census taken after the year 2026 by the 84th Amendment Act.

20. Consider the following statements: 1. If the election of the President

Consider the following statements:
1. If the election of the President of India is declared void by the Supreme Court of India, all acts done by him/her in the performance of duties of his/her office of President before the date of decision become invalid.
2. Election for the post of the President of India can be postponed on the ground that some Legislative Assemblies have been dissolved and elections are yet to take place.
3. When a Bill is presented to the President of India, the Constitution prescribes time limits within which he/she has to declare his/her assent.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Only one

Only two

All three

None

This question was previously asked in

UPSC IAS – 2023

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Statement 1 is incorrect. Article 71(2) of the Constitution of India explicitly states that “If the election of a person as President or Vice-President is declared void by the Supreme Court, acts done by him in the exercise and performance of the powers and duties of the office of President or Vice-President, as the case may be, on or before the date of the decision of the Supreme Court shall not be invalidated by reason of that declaration.”

Statement 2 is incorrect. Article 62 of the Constitution mandates that an election to fill a vacancy in the office of President shall be held before the expiration of the term of office of the outgoing President. The election cannot be postponed on the ground that some Legislative Assemblies have been dissolved. The electoral college remains valid even if some state assemblies are dissolved; the election is based on the elected members existing at that time.

Statement 3 is incorrect. Article 111 of the Constitution, which deals with the President’s assent to Bills, does not prescribe any time limit within which the President must declare his/her assent or return the Bill (in case of ordinary Bills). The President can neither assent nor reject nor return the bill for an indefinite period, which is known as the ‘pocket veto’. This differs from the US President, who has a limited time frame.

– Acts done by the President before the Supreme Court declares the election void remain valid.
– Presidential election cannot be postponed due to dissolution of State Legislative Assemblies.
– The Constitution does not prescribe a time limit for the President to give assent to an ordinary Bill.

While the President has indefinite time for ordinary bills, for Constitutional Amendment Bills, the President is bound to give assent (24th Amendment Act, 1971). For Money Bills, the President can either give assent or withhold assent, but cannot return it for reconsideration (Article 111, read with Article 110).